Black Mask (film)
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| Black Mask | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Black Mask |
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| Directed by | Daniel Lee |
| Produced by | Tsui Hark |
| Written by | Teddy Chan Ann Hui |
| Starring | Jet Li Karen Mok Anthony Wong Chau-Sang |
| Followed by | Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002) |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Black Mask is a 1996 Hong Kong action film starring Jet Li, Karen Mok and Anthony Wong Chau-Sang. It was directed by Daniel Lee and was produced by Tsui Hark. It is also known as Hak hap.
The film concerns a man named Tsui Chik (Michael in the American version), who tries to lead a quiet life as a librarian. However, he is really a former test subject for a highly secretive super soldier project, and when he discovers that other test subjects have begun a violent crime spree that the police are hopeless to stop, he sets out to stop them himself by donning a disguise and using the superhero alias of "Black Mask".
Black Mask was followed by a 2002 sequel, Black Mask 2: City of Masks. Apart from the character, the film had very little to do with the original film other than Tsui getting the cure for his super-soldier powers (which makes more sense in the original version than the dubbed version). It was directed by Tsui Hark and starred Jon Polito, Tyler Mane, Rob Van Dam and Traci Lords. Andy On played Black Mask when Jet Li opted not to return.
[edit] Trivia
- In a homage to The Green Hornet, Black Mask wears a domino mask and chauffeur's cap in the same style as Kato from the series. Jet Li is often mentioned as a leading candidate to play Kato in a future big budget Green Hornet film.
- Black Mask was released in the United States in 1999 to cash in on Jet Li's recent appearance in the Hollywood film Lethal Weapon 4. This version dubbed the original Cantonese dialogue into in English and re-edited the film, swapping scenes around and excising 10 minutes of footage.
- Since the film's release in the United States, it has developed a small cult following. Fans of the film cite the contrast of relatively poor dubbing and comparatively excellent fight choreography as a source of humorous entertainment.
[edit] Box Office
Black Mask grossed a moderate HK $13,286,788 during its Hong Kong box office run.
On May 14, 1999, a recut version of the film was released in 979 North American theatres. It grossed a reasonable US $4,449,692 ($4,545 per screen) in its opening weekend, and grossed a total of US $12,504,289.
